Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-10-08
SON'S AWFUL STORY.
HE coN5=ssts TO NUMBERING HIS
MOTHER.

The Deed Committed the Night Before
His Marriage Day-kilied Her in a
Lonely Spo~t-Ordsring u Postponemsnt
OF the W~eddiug-His Arrest.
New YORK, Oct. THE following is the
confession of young Franklin Ashbur,
Hawkins, of IsIip, L.. I.,who shot and killed
his mother, Mrs. Cynthiana Hawkins, near
that place.
''Hard feelings had grown Up between
myself and my mother because of her
interference between myself and Miss
Hattie Shreck, TO whom | was engaged
to be married and wnou | intended to
marry last sunday. Last Wednesday /
hired a horse and drove down to my
mothers house, fully intending to eiti,vI
settle the difficulty o. set her out OF Ia
way. She was not aloi!o and | cOnll no
get her away, SC | drove back home. .
was nearly crazy. and could neither Ell
nor sleep. felt that my mother stool.
in the way of my happiness, and | made
up my mind TO remove the obstacle. Sal
urday night | hired a horse and started
for the house. 1t was about 10 O'Clock.
| told mother that | wanted her to goout
with me where we could talk over the
trouble between us. don't know that
| had fully determined to kill her if she
did not consent to the marriage, but |
was desperate.
"After talking a little while we both
became excited, and mother applied a
vile epithet to my intended. aud in II
rage shot her in the right temple. She
lay back in the corner OF the wagon and
groaned. / drove back to Bay Shore.
Mother was alive when we got there and
L shot her again in the head. ] was fren-
zied. Idroye north on the Brentwood road,
and occasionally mother gasped, ana
knew she was not dead, SO just after
crossing the railroad track | shot her a
third time and stopping the wagon
dragged her out and left her in the
bushes where she was found. | drove
back through the village and went to
Babylon, where l stopped at Penney's
saloon, bought a cigar and started back
for Bay Shore where / arrived shortly
after ii O'Clock. | walked up and down
my room all night.
81 persuaded myself that / had only
done my duty, but it was horrible.
was to be married Sunday at IL O'Clock
at Eaton's Neck. At 6 O'Clock | took a
horse and the same wagon l had the
night before and started. | could no
keep the thoughts o. mother out of my
mind in driving through the woods. 1t
was SO lonesome | could hardly stay in
the wagon. flashed the horse and ran
him for miles. l thought j could hear
mothers voice. CHANGING down in the
wagon, l saw a pool of blood had collected
in he bottom of it, and | got out and
traced it where the blood had run out
and over the axle. l hardly dared to get
back into the wagon. l led the horse
for a long distance, when / got in and
drove to Northport from there, afte,
washing the wagon.
81 went to the house where | was to
lave been married. 1t was early, Guests
We're there. couldn't keep still. ]
finally made an excuse that | had for.
gotten something, and, telling Hattie
that would return surely at 4 o'clock,
drove to Babylon, where / took dinner.
From there l drove to Bay Shore. J
couldn't help going back. l wanted t,
run away but | couldn't. When / got
back l was arrested, and for a spell | fell
relieved. | am sorry now that | did it.
must have been crazy. / deserve tne
severest punishment. 1t will be a living
death if my life is spared. What I tel
you is the TRUTH